The Irvine, Calif.-based chain will take 13,460 square feet at 42 W. Maryland St. in part of the space formerly occupied by anchor tenant Nordstrom, according to a state filing.

IBJ first reported in January that beer-themed Yard House was nearing a deal to take ground level space at the mall. Yard House is a Darden Restaurants Inc. concept with 48 locations in 17 states, with the closest to Indianapolis being in Cincinnati.

It’s unclear when the restaurant will open. Calls to representatives of mall manager Simon Property Group Inc. and Yard House were not returned Friday morning.

Yard House portrays itself as an “upscale casual eatery” and is widely known for its vast array of beers on tap—up to 250 imported, craft and specialty ales and lagers.

Landing the national chain could help the publicly traded Simon lure more tenants to the 210,000-square-foot space, which has not had a retail presence since Nordstrom left the mall in July 2011.

Other chains such as Bobby’s Burger Palace, a restaurant chain developed by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, Bonefish Grill and New York-based Dinosaur Bar-B-Que have scouted the location at times but have yet to commit, brokers say.

Simon has leased about 100,000 square feet in the former Nordstrom space to The Indianapolis Star, which is set to move its longtime headquarters at 307 N. Pennsylvania St. to the mall Aug. 15.

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ReporterReal estate, retail, legal issues

Property LinesReal estate blog moderator

Olson became real estate reporter in March 2013 after spending four years as online reporter for IBJ Daily. He joined IBJ in 1999 and spent three years previously at IBJ sister publication Indiana Lawyer. Scott is an Illinois native and graduate of Western Illinois University—home of the mighty Leathernecks. He spent nearly four years at a small Illinois daily newspaper before joining The Republic in Columbus, Ind., in 1994. There, he covered the “courts and cops” beat, and reported news from nearby towns by traipsing through the hinterlands of southeastern Indiana.

In his spare time, Scott enjoys reading history books, riding bicycles, running and—most importantly—watching baseball and cheering on the Chicago White Sox. Scott also serves on the Zionsville West Middle School PTO Board. He lives in Zionsville with his wife and two daughters, along with two cats and a spoiled Chihuahua.